Community News
Explore Canada’s largest Black History Month celebration through film; the annual Toronto Black Film Festival turns 10!
BY JANIECE CAMPBELL
The Toronto Black Film Festival (TBFF) is preparing for a celebratory milestone event; this year will mark its tenth installment! Commemorating Black History Month as tradition, the festival will run from February 16th to 21st, 2022 and features a wide selection of programs and films by members of the African, Caribbean, and Black Canadian diaspora.
Born out of the mind of the artistic visionary and Haitian Canadian, Fabienne Colas, the TBFF’s legacy began back in 2005 with the Montreal International Black Film Festival. The first edition of this event consisted of three films in three days, which quickly grew exponentially to become the largest black film festival in Canada, presenting hundreds of films produced by dozens of countries. Attracting close to 1 million festival goers over the years, they have welcomed countless distinguished guests such as Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover, Spike Lee, and many more far before expanding the festival to Toronto in 2013. Today, Fabienne Colas, who has been graced with the title ‘Queen of Festivals’ has created and manages nine successful international festivals throughout Canada, America, Brazil, and Haiti.
Due to the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual event won’t be held in person once again, but instead will take place entirely online. Regardless, over the course of six days, the TBFF will premiere 200 films from thirty countries! Last year, they succeeded in achieving over 100,000 virtual attendees, and this year the goal is nothing less.
TBFF 2022 will be showcasing the world premiere of Being Black in Canada, a program debuting 35 films from 35 emerging Black filmmakers aged 18 to 30 years old from communities in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary, and Vancouver. The program, created by the Fabienne Colas Foundation and presented by Netflix, represents Canada’s largest mentorship intiative dedicated to Black filmmakers and aims to train, mentor and empower the next generation in cinema and television. The films apart of this program are documentary shorts of approximately ten minutes each and will delve into topics such as the faults of the education system, Black Wall Street, incarceration, mental health and lack of community support.
Some films will be exclusive to Canadians only. One in particular happens to be the opening film ‘ALICE’ starring Keke Palmer and Common, portraying an enslaved couple on a plantation in Georgia, Alice and Joseph, marrying in a secret ceremony while the Christian owner goes out of their way to make life harder for the young couple. After Alice escapes, she soon discovers a shocking truth – the year is 1973. With the help of a man on the outside, they work together to expose the unlawful plantation and save her family.
Whether you’re seeking feature films, documentaries or even animated shorts, there is something visually captivating for your viewing pleasure. Tickets are on sale now, ranging between $12-15 for individual film screenings as well as all access passes are available for only $99, giving you freedom to watch all 200 films.
Outside of the film presentation, there will be several other events running concurrently that are completely free of charge. From live performances showcasing music and spoken word jams, to the Black-Market organizing industry related discussions amongst expert panelists on critical issues like representation and Black wealth, be prepared for the TBFF to provide a stellar red-carpet experience without having to step foot out of the door. The final day of the festival, February 21st is Kids Day and there will be many mid-day online programs curated for children such as kid’s yoga, arts and crafts as well as story book reading.
Visit https://torontoblackfilm.com to check out the films and to view all the upcoming programs available for your enjoyment in the comfort of your home!